Botafogo stages comeback and defeats Fortaleza, relegating them to Serie B

Botafogo finished the Brasileirão in sixth place with 63 points. Meanwhile, Fortaleza wrapped up their campaign in 18th place with 43 points – leading to relegation to the second division, closely followed by their rival Ceará. The defeat in Rio halted Fortaleza’s late surge in this Brasileirão. The team had been undefeated in nine games and had strung together four consecutive victories. However, their poor performance in the first half of the season proved costly. Fortaleza returns to Serie B after being promoted from Serie B in Brasileirão 2018. The club had successful campaigns in recent years, including participation in the Libertadores and finishing as runners-up in the Sul-Americana, but everything went wrong in 2025.